Chapter 80
Chapter 80
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 80
Chapter Title: This Stage is Wind (1)
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I hid slightly next to the villa door. And I quietly stared at Teddy's back.
Teddy was leaning lightly against the streetlamp, talking on the phone in English with someone.
Drawing on my old experience studying TOEIC listening, I tried to interpret what he was saying. There weren't any difficult words mixed in, so it wasn't too hard to follow.
-Yeah, Dad. Thanks for remembering to call. Mom said she didn't contact you on purpose because you've been so busy lately... Hehe. Yeah, right? I should've called yesterday if I knew.
The person Teddy was talking to was his father. It seemed like the time difference was why the call was coming in now.
-Alex and Daisy are doing well too? ...That's a relief that they're fine. I had an awesome day today. My members threw me a birthday party. I got cake and presents. ...What kind of cake? Fresh cream cake. Everyone loves it. They're all so nice to me.
Teddy's voice was as brightly energetic as always, the kind that gifts everyone around him with positivity. But...
-Anyway, I'm doing great, so don't worry too much. In a few days, I'm going on a big competition show here in Korea. For real! Later, I'll come back to the UK as an amazing K-pop idol who can perform there too. I'm doing well, so don't worry, Dad.
Was it the streetlamp light casting down on Teddy's sharp features? Or maybe the bright moonlight shining down from the sky tonight?
-...I miss you too. Mom, Alex, and Daisy. Yeah. Thanks. Take care of yourselves. Thanks for the birthday wishes, even if they came late...
An expression of quiet loneliness bloomed on his face, one that didn't match his usual bright voice. It was the first time I'd seen Teddy like this. He'd always been this wrinkle-free, cute little-brother type...
-I love you too, Dad.
Teddy uttered those words in a voice thick with longing, then hung up.
After that, he kept staring at his phone screen, then let out a sigh and tilted his head toward the sky.
Teddy's eyes, gazing up at the heavens, seemed damper than usual. Like tears might spill out any second.
Seeing him like that, a deep pang of sympathy welled up in my heart.
'He must really miss his family...'
Teddy had always shown us nothing but his sunny smiles, so I hadn't realized how much deep homesickness he carried inside.
'Or rather, now that I think about it...'
I'd forgotten until now, but Teddy was the one who'd abruptly left EverPlanet a few years back and returned to the UK without warning. Maybe the clue to that was right here.
'The reason he made that choice might have been this.'
It might not be the whole reason, but it had to be one of the major factors.
If that was the case, then from my position—where I absolutely had to prevent Teddy from going down that path—what could I do? No, what should I do?
Just as my thoughts reached that point, Teddy rubbed his eyes vigorously with his sleeve. Then he suddenly turned his head this way. Wait, hold on. I hurriedly tried to hide, but
"...Jae?"
It was too late—I ended up locking eyes with him. Teddy walked right up to me with steady steps. He glanced at me cautiously and asked,
"Um... Jae. Did you... hear anything...?"
"...No. I didn't hear."
I shook my head for now. It was his deeply personal call. I'd overheard it unintentionally, so pretending I hadn't heard seemed best.
But Teddy stared straight at me and pouted his lips.
"Liar."
"..."
"You didn't even ask what I said, so why say you didn't hear? Jae's a liar."
Of course, the lie wouldn't fly. At Teddy's sharp point-out, I cleared my throat awkwardly.
"Sorry. I didn't want to make you feel awkward for no reason. It might sound like an excuse, but... I just stepped out to grab something and happened to overhear."
"...You understood everything I said, Jae?"
"I can follow English at that level just fine."
"Oh, right. You lived in America for a bit, didn't you?"
Teddy scratched his head, looking kind of embarrassed. Then he sneaked another peek at me before speaking up.
"Just... Dad called after a long time. To wish me happy birthday. It's been almost a year since I last talked to him. He's always so busy. So it just kinda..."
Hearing that, my body moved on its own before I knew it. A warm embrace enveloped me soon after. Teddy, who always hugged me first, was getting hugged by me this time.
I gently patted his back and whispered,
"You're doing great, Teddy."
"..."
"You're working harder than anyone. I know it, the members know it, the Sunlight fans know it."
"..."
"And all those people are right by your side. So..."
I paused for a beat, then continued.
"Whenever you're having a hard time, feeling lonely or sad... lean on me, on us. Don't suffer alone like this. We'll always be on your side."
I know the feeling of pushing forward alone in a foreign place for your dreams. Sure, I never crossed borders like Teddy did, but I could at least faintly understand what he was feeling.
That's why I knew this above all: realizing someone was there with you in moments like these was the biggest help. The greatest comfort.
As proof, when I slowly pulled away after speaking, tears were already welling up in his eyes.
"Jae..."
"Don't cry, dummy."
"But... sniff. I can't stop crying..."
Overwhelmed with emotion, Teddy took a few deep breaths—huh, huh—then rubbed his eyes hard with his sleeve again.
I lightly patted his back. And I offered words envisioning a distant future.
The far-off future I wanted to change. One where Teddy didn't return to the UK alone, where we all kept the EverPlanet name together.
"Later, let's definitely go to the UK. We'll perform there in front of your family."
"...Yeah."
"And until then, we'll have fun activities together. Promise."
"Promise."
Teddy hooked his pinky with mine. And then,
"...Thanks, Jae."
With all his heart.
He flashed a brilliant smile along with those words.
Seeing that bright expression, like all his worries had melted away, I couldn't help but smile too.
* * *
A few days later, the long-awaited competition day finally arrived. We got to MBS Hall earlier than scheduled.
Countless staff were already out preparing the stage.
After greeting them first, we headed to our assigned waiting room.
"Wow, the waiting room is huge."
"Yeah. Feels like the biggest one we've ever had."
"But honestly, we haven't used many waiting rooms before."
"True."
I inwardly agreed with Han Tae-hee and Go Eun-young's conversation. Since it was exclusively for us, it was definitely spacious.
It wouldn't feel cramped even with other staff in there. And it had a sofa, TV, water purifier...
As I looked around the waiting room, I muttered without thinking,
"The waiting room is really... luxurious."
"There's a TV in the waiting room..."
"And a water purifier!"
"To think we'd get to use a waiting room this nice someday..."
Park Su-rim, Teddy, and Lee Jae-oh stood frozen at the door, too awestruck to even step inside, just gaping at the interior.
Kim Kwang-myeong looked at the three of them like he'd seen it all and said,
"What are you doing out there? Come in already."
"Can we even dare to go in?"
"Yeah, do we even dare..."
Even Lee Jae-oh nodded silently, and Kim Kwang-myeong let out a scoffing laugh as he grabbed the door handle.
"Stop being dramatic and get in here. I'm closing the door?"
At that, the three hurried inside.
So cute. I watched them as I plopped down on the sofa. And I mentally mapped out the day's schedule.
'Rehearsal, makeup, drawing lots for order, then the competition stage, I guess.'
Today was going to be a long one. That's what I thought.
Not long after we entered, a staff member opened the waiting room door.
"EverPlanet, time for rehearsal."
The members stretched and stood up. Park Su-rim took the lead with a grin.
"Since it's just rehearsal, let's do it easy."
"Okay!"
* * *
The three leads of *Legendary Hits Bonanza*: PD Kim, PD Choi, and writer Park.
They sat in the front row for the competition stage preparations.
As PD Kim sat down, he asked writer Park,
"Who's first for rehearsal, writer Park?"
"Choi Shin-yeol first. This time it's by debut order."
"Ah, got it."
He nodded and scanned the sheet.
Meanwhile, the staff finished setting up for rehearsal, and performers started coming up one by one.
The three watched each rehearsal and shared brief feedback.
"Choi Shin-yeol, the bass is a bit heavy in the added part, burying your voice. Be careful there."
"Jin Soo-hyun is flawless as expected. Just like that, please."
"Uh, Heidi's back members' voices are shaky. In the real thing, focus on making the live sound as stable as possible."
After all five teams finished, it was finally the last one.
As Neighbor Honey Bread finished rehearsal and left the stage, a clatter of footsteps followed right away.
EverPlanet. The seven young men were rushing up with quick steps.
"Hello! We're EverPlanet! Please take care of our rehearsal!"
Seeing the seven young men greeting them loudly, the three couldn't help but smile.
They bowed to every staff member in sight, like adorable chicks.
To ease their nerves as much as possible, PD Choi spoke in the warmest tone he could muster.
"Do it comfortably. It's just rehearsal."
"Yes! Thank you!"
The leader—the puppy-like young man—bowed to them.
Then he synced up with the others and busily prepared the stage.
PD Choi whistled softly and muttered,
"Wow, they're super disciplined."
"They're so rookie-cute. I was like that once too."
"You, writer Park?"
"Don't remind me. Back when I was the youngest writer, I bowed like that everywhere."
Just then, PD Choi, checking the song selection list, tilted his head.
"By the way, is this selection right?"
"What is it?"
"Yi Pyung-yoon's 'Yo.' But isn't this... unrelated to 'wind'?"
"Hmm... Looks like it's not that 'wind,' but a different one?"
At writer Park's words, PD Choi turned to her like, what do you mean?
Writer Park shrugged as if it were obvious and continued,
"When you're longing for something, that's a kind of 'wind' too, right?"
"Oh... yeah. You could interpret it that way; no rule against it."
"Interesting."
PD Kim, who'd been quietly watching the stage, chuckled softly.
Soon after, the stage gave the OK sign, and the MR started flowing from the speakers.
With Yi Pyung-yoon's 'Yo,' an R&B-style piano melody flowed, followed by a thumping beat that shook the chest.